Faded
by ellenlovesellen
Summary: Bomb episode (2x17): Derek deals with the idea of the woman he loves being hurt and re-thinks his choice. - COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

_**So, I rewatched 2x17 and...no. I had to do it differently. It's a little fic in three part plus an epilogue, already written.**_

 ** _Read, love & review. A big thank you to my beta, Irene, aka _CileSun92, _and Veronica (_ merder32 _) who helped me with this idea!_**

* * *

 _ **Faded**_

* * *

 **1\. Derek**

 ** _You were the shadow to my light_**  
 ** _Did you feel us?_**  
 ** _Another star_**  
 ** _You fade away_**  
 ** _Afraid our aim is out of sight_**  
 ** _Wanna see us_**  
 ** _Alight_**

The doors of the elevator opened up to the ground floor.

Derek could clearly hear people gasping and sighing in relief: dr. Burke and he were back safe, Mr. Carlson was alive. Everything went well. He could hear Preston talk to Mrs. Carlson. He felt Richard's hand on his shoulder. Everyone was feeling like the nightmare was finally over, but for him, it was different.

The nightmare had just begun.

His eyes tentatively focused on Richard and Adele; he scanned the entire hall, every corner, looking for her. He just need to see the blonde hair. The green-grey wide eyes. Anything that could tell him she was safe. That he hadn't lost her. That even if he had make a mistake, he still had time to make it better.

"Where is she?" he asked. He was talking to Webber, to Adele; to anyone who could tell him where she was. To anyone who could put him out of his misery.

"You had to be a cowboy," Richard replied, apparently not hearing his question.

Derek asked again: "Where is she?"

This time, Richard replied.

"She's here," he said, and Derek felt his heart swell, getting ready to see her; to look into her eyes, smell on her flowery scent again. Sometimes, when they worked together and she moved in a certain way, he could still feel the scent invading his nostrils. Sometimes, in elevators, he casually leaned closely, hoping for a breath of air to move her hair and make him smell that scent again. This way, it was easier to go home to his wife and live with the wrong choice he had made.

From around the corner, though, it wasn't Meredith to make her appearance – it was Addison.

She threw herself in his arms and Derek couldn't help but hug her, even if for a second. It wasn't right. _This_ wasn't right.

He took a step back from his wife and asked again, louder: "Where is she?!"

He started walking through the hall, looking in every corner and room, scanning every face. It was when he saw O'Malley that he knew where he had to look: the interns' locker room.

He walked straight there, pushing the door open, and there she was: standing up in the shower, still in her scrubs, Yang and Stevens both at her sides. He could still see her eyes, her lips, but her face was dirty from blood – he didn't know if hers or somebody else's– and she had a bad cut on her forehead. For the rest, she seemed good.

He felt a cry burn his throat.

"Dr. Shepherd…" he heard Yang say quietly, and his head snapped up.

Meredith was apparently looking straight to his direction but he didn't know if she actually saw him.

Derek took a couple of steps into the room, needing to be close to Meredith: nothing else mattered in that moment. Not Addison, not his marriage, not even the choice he made, not Meredith's friends. He needed to be close to her. He needed to wash the blood out himself. His lips needed to feel her skin against them.

"Dr. Shepherd, can you step outside, please?" Stevens asked, and her tone was anything but gentle.

"Dr. Yang, Dr. Stevens," he called, his eyes still on Meredith. "You can go, now. I'm here and I'm going to take care of Meredith myself."

Izzie snorted. "Oh, no. You're not."

He raised his eyes to the other blonde, puzzled. He was equally surprised by Izzie's tone and by Yang's quietness.

"Dr. Stevens," he repeated, taking another step forward. "I'm not gonna ask again."

Cristina gently brushed her hand to Meredith's shoulder, but then she took a couple of steps away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Izzie asked Cristina. "Dr. Shepherd, get out! I'm gonna get my friend naked so I can wash her, and I'm not having you here to watch!"

This time, it was Derek turn to snort. "Oh, please. I've seen her naked more time than I can tell you, I can draw down for you every freckle of her body. I _need_ to take care of her. Get. Out."

"You get out, before I yell for the Chief. And Dr. Montgomery."

"You can yell for whoever you want, I don't care. Get. Out!"

" _You_ broke her heart- "

"Dr. Stevens, what happened between us is none of your business, but since you seem to think differently, I'll tell you what: I'm married, I know. I hurt her, I know. But you don't get to wash the blood away from her, _I_ need to do that because she's mine. Do you understand? She's mine, and I'm hers. I get to do this because s _he belongs to me_. Now leave the room, Stevens, or I swear I'll find a way to kick you out of this program!"

He didn't actually think she would really listen, but she surprised him: even if she was looking at him like she could kill him, Izzie left the room, Cristina – unusually quiet – following closely.

They were finally alone.

"Mer…" He breathed. He cleared his throat and tried again, walking next to her: "Mer, I'm gonna help you shower, then we can get you changed and go home, okay?"

Meredith simply stared at him, her green eyes in his blue ones.

Derek wanted to try and make her talk, he wanted to know she was okay with this, especially since he was going to take off her clothes – thrills ran down his back at the thought of her naked again, – but after a moment, he knew she trusted him. He could read it in her eyes – she was scared and lost, but her eyes were open and clear: she was going to give herself to him again, and oh so completely.

Gingerly, he removed the gown they had put on her in surgery, stroking her neck softly while untying it.

"It's okay," he whispered.

After the coat, he helped her out her scrubs and Converse. There was blood - on her hands, face and neck. There was blood on the woman he loved and Derek gulped, trying to stay calm for her sake.

When she was naked and cold, he removed her scrub cap, letting her blonde waves fall on her tiny shoulders. His heart skipped a beat when he realized the hair didn't have its usual flowery scent.

Derek discarded quickly his own scrubs, careful to leave his boxers on. He didn't want to make the situation even more embarrassing for her. He adjusted the temperature of the water and finally, picked her up in his arms and carried her right under the spray of water.

She looked beautiful, but she had never looked so fragile.

"I'm not going to leave you," he breathed softly, kissing her forehead. As soon as those words left his mouth, a unexpected, heartbreaking sob erupted from Meredith's lips. She wasn't crying, she wasn't looking at him or showing she was feeling any contact with reality - just a sob.

Derek washed the dirty of that day out of her body, gently, sweetly, kissing her forehead, her hair, her face, whispering sweet nothings to her. When she was perfumed and clean, he wrapped her in a big towel and held her against his chest for a few minutes. He just listened to her breathing. Even if it was rough and a bit hard, it was a reminder that she was alive.

Dressed in a pair of yoga pants he had found at the bottom of her locker and one of his sweaters, Meredith was ready to go home. She hadn't said anything, not once, and Derek was starting to feel worried. He scooped her up in his arms, deciding to bring her upstairs for a CT before heading home. Nothing was going to happen to Meredith, not again, and most of all, not under his care.

When he stepped in the hall, holding Meredith like a princess in his arms, he found Yang, Stevens, O'Malley and Karev leaning against the wall, obviously waiting for updates about their friend. Derek told them quickly that she was okay, a little bit in shock, and he was going to run a quick exam and before bring her home.

"It's not necessary for you to come, we're going home too," Izzie argued, but Derek simply glanced at her. Anyway, how Meredith was holding onto him was a clear answer.

Behind the four interns, Derek spotted Richard, Adele, Bailey and… Addison.

"Close your eyes and hide your face in my neck," he whispered to Meredith. "It's going to be over soon."

"Oh God, is the poor child okay?" Adele asked.

"She's fine," he assured her. "I just wanna do a CT."

"Yes, of course." Richard nodded. "Do you want me to come with you or page another neurosurgeon?"

Meredith's hand squeezed Derek's coat even tighter.

"No, thanks, Richard. I can do it myself."

"That sweater is a little big for her." Bailey observed. Behind her back, Addison's eyes spoke volumes.

She knew. She just _knew_. Despite everything, they had been married for eleven years. Derek could read her like an open book.

She knew he was going to take Meredith home and sleep on her doormat. She knew he had rethought his choice. She knew their marriage had come to its end.

"Yes, it's mine," he said. He wasn't ashamed. He felt sorry for Addison, just that. But he wasn't going to turn his back to the feelings he had for Meredith once again. "Didn't find anything she could wear home."

"You _showered_ her?" Bailey asked, the disbelief clear in her voice. "I thought Stevens was going to do it!"

Thankfully, Richard interrupted the awful moment. He put one hand on Miranda's shoulder and murmured: "Bailey, enough." And even if Miranda would have usually spat something back, she dropped the subject.

Derek heard Meredith's muffled voice against his neck: "Wanna go home."

He let out a breath of relief. Thank God, she was well enough to talk. He readjusted her in his arms: "Don't worry, my love. We're going."

The nickname, something he had never used before, rolled off his tongue in the particular moment. He clearly heard her snort against his neck.

"Take her," Richard told Derek.

Derek looked straight to Addison: "I'm sorry," he told her.

Meredith didn't say anything more while Derek did the CT. Luckily, the scans came up perfectly clean, and as soon as he picked her up again to bring her home, he showered her face and head with kisses.

"You're okay," he told her all over again. "You're okay."

Accidentally - or maybe not - one of those kisses ended on her mouth. He almost couldn't believe himself when Meredith kissed him back.

"Take me home," she said, so softly Derek almost didn't hear her.


	2. Chapter 2

**2\. Derek**

 _ **Where are you now?**_  
 _ **Another dream**_  
 _ **The monster's running wild inside of me**_  
 _ **I'm faded**_

Meredith had been quiet the entire ride home.

Derek wasn't worried anymore about a clot in her brain or internal bleeding, but he wasn't even happy with her quietness. Most of all, because they broke up months before and he wasn't sure she was happy with him acting like her boyfriend. He didn't even know how she felt about him gaining that position again, but he had already decided that was a worry for another day.

As soon as they reached her street, he parked the car and gently asked her: "Do you want to walk or do you prefer if I carry you?"

"I can walk." She nodded, struggling to open the door. She was clearly feeling extremely weak. He quickly got out and went to help her.

"Here," he offered, taking her hand. "Does it hurt somewhere?"

"Everywhere," she replied, and the expression on her face suggested she might even find the worldplay amusing.

"I'll give you painkillers in a little bit," he assured, while they slowly walked into the dark house. Thankfully, Izzie and George - and maybe Alex? Cristina? He wasn't sure who exactly lived with Meredith - were still at the hospital.

Derek removed her coat and swept her up in his arms, carrying her to her bedroom, remembering too well where to go and what to do. But when they entered her bedroom, he wasn't ready for the wave of memories breaking down on him. Behind his eyes played memories of them in that bed, rolling under the sheets, laughing, making love, sleeping twisted in each other. They had even argued, once or twice. But, most of all, he remembered falling in love with her, faster than he would ever have expected.

Gently, he lowered her on the bed and began changing her clothes. He didn't waste time in questioning if he could or not: she needed someone to take care of her, and she hadn't said she wanted Izzie and Cristina by her side.

When he removed his sweater from her body, he looked at her, sitting on the edge of the bed, a microscopic tank top hiding her chest. He kneeled down in front of her and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Meredith," he whispered, and she raised her head, their eyes locking. "I missed you," he confessed.

"Oh, Derek." She breathed, closing her eyes. She meant she had missed him too, but he didn't need to hear it: her sigh was enough. Sweetly, gently, he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

"I missed kissing you," he added, and then, he captured her mouth with his again.

Derek wanted to keep the kiss low-key because he was sure she was hurting, and he doubted she was ready, anyway. So, he was positively shocked when he replied to the kiss with a new passion. He leaned down, the weight of his body pushing her down on the bed. Holding back how he was really feeling and how much he wanted to ravish her for the sake of her well-being, he kissed her sweetly, his arms caressing nothing more than her arm and her shoulder.

After a while, he pulled back, already missing the feeling of her body and her soft sighs on his lips.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her.

She nodded. "I don't really feel like moving," she confessed after a moment of silence.

"That's not a problem. I'll bring you food up here."

Derek kissed the side of her head and went downstair to quickly fix some bacon, a few sausages and a glass of orange juice. He put everything on a tray, along with a couple of chocolate chip cookies and some painkillers.

On one hand, her was worried about her. He suspected she was still under shock, but he knew the following morning she would be going to be in pain. On the other hand, even if he felt guilty about it, he was thrilled. A few hours ago, he had being scared like never before. When he had witnessed his father being killed or picked Amelia up from hospitals where she ended up after overdosing with her drugs he had been scared, maybe even terrified. But nothing was like that afternoon, when Cristina Yang had told him Meredith was holding a _bomb_ in her hands. For a moment, he had thought he was going to be in a world without Meredith in it. And the worst was, Derek had never had his chance to live their love. He had his chance and he had thrown it away.

But Meredith was alive. She was alive, his marriage had come to an end and he felt like jumping around because after months of pain and regrets, he was in her house again, again allowed to take care of her.

He grabbed the tray and went upstairs again. He found Meredith quietly laying on the bed. Putting the tray on her bedside table, he asked: "Do you want help to get changed?"

She nodded and tried to sit up. Derek put a hand on her shoulder: "Don't worry. Let me pick something for you to wear, then I'll change you."

He found some pajamas and his heart skipped a beat when he spotted, in the back of the drawer, some of his own t-shirts and boxers. Maybe, he still had hope. Maybe he could win her over again.

He helped her change and sat on the edge of the bed, watching her while she ate.

"Do you want to watch a movie?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I think I just want to sleep and forget for a while."

He put away her tray and helped her to the bathroom to pee and brush her teeth.

"Thank you," she said softly, turning her head to look straight into his eyes.

He caressed her hair. "You're welcome. C'mon, you need to sleep."

He put her in bed, adjusting the blankets and the pillows to make her as comfortable as possible. He heard the front door slam gently and he knew the other interns were at home too.

Derek sighed and leaned down to kiss her head repeatedly.

"Sleep well, Mer," he told her, caressing her hair. He couldn't stop touching her. "I'll be back in the morning, ok?"

Her eyes widened in fear. "Why?" she asked.

Derek stammered a little: "Well, you - I mean…"

"Oh," she said as she realised. "You need to go back to your wife."

"No. No wife. Just you," he assured her. He watched as the tears filled her eyes.

"Stay with me." She breathed and Derek thought his heart might explode. He found again a t-shirt and a pair of fresh boxers. He managed a quick trip to the bathroom without running into anyone, but he could hear them chat quietly in the kitchen. He figured out "Mer" and "McDreamy" in which seemed like Izzie's voice, but honestly, he didn't care. He just cared about the girl waiting for him in bed.

As soon as he came back, he found her hidden under the blankets. He couldn't figure out her face so he thought she had fallen asleep, but as soon as he laid down he felt her scoot a little closer and her flebile voice: "It was you."

"Me?"

"Yes. You saved me. When we were about to remove the bomb, Dylan told me to think about someone I liked. I thought about you and it was like you were there with me. You told me that I could do it and everything would be all right."

He wrapped an arm gently around her hips, bringing her body close. He drowned his face in her hair, breathing deeply in her unfamiliar scent. He remembered he had washed her hair at the hospital, albeit the lack of perfume.

"Oh, Meredith." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You're here," she said again.

"I'm not going away."

"I don't want to be without you ever again," she confessed, hiding her face in his chest. He heard her moan in pain when she turned on her side, and he kissed her neck.

"I can't believe I'm back in your bed," he whispered, but her answer was a soft snore.

He laughed softly and kissed her mouth, settling to fall asleep again cuddled by the sound of her snores.

* * *

 **Thank you for your reviews! Let me know what you think of this chapter and be ready for chap 3!**


	3. Chapter 3

**3\. Meredith**

 _ **Was it all in my fantasy**_  
 _ **Where are you now**_  
 _ **Were you only imaginary**_  
 _ **Where are you now**_

When she woke up the following morning, Meredith realised two things: the first was that Derek was not in bed next to her, exactly like she supposed. This meant that the whole bringing her home and taking care of her thing had happened just in her dream. She sighed deeply: thank God. She didn't want to have anything to do with him again. She loved him and he had chosen his wife. End of the sad story. The second thing she knew was that everything in her body hurt. She got up slowly, trying to go downstairs to find something to eat so she could take some painkillers.

She heard soft noises in the kitchen. Maybe Izzie, and Izzie at home meant she was going to be fed soon. She didn't remember if her friend had to work or not but she was glad not to be alone for a while.

When she entered the kitchen, she discovered someone was indeed cooking breakfast. The table was set with two mugs, two plates, even a candle. She was greeted by a huge grin. Not Izzie's, Derek's.

"Good morning," he said. "Sit down, I'm almost done. How are you feeling?"

He abandoned briefly what he was doing to approach her and give her a kiss - on the mouth. Meredith couldn't help but pull away in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him, sitting down anyway. Her legs were about to give up.

"What do you mean?" he asked, raising a eyebrow. "I'm here since I brought you home from the hospital. You told me to stay with you."

"I must have been in shock," she explained. "I don't want you here."

Derek stopped in the middle of the kitchen, a plate full of pancakes in his hands. For a second, she almost felt sorry for him. The look on his face was of pure pain.

"Meredith, I -" he was stammering. She had never heard Derek Shepherd stammer. "I need to take care of you."

"You need to take care of _your wife_ ," she answered, and as soon as her words left her lips, she saw him immediately relaxing. He put the plate on the table, in front of her, then got down on one knee, caressing her leg despite her stiffness.

"Mer, Addison knows I'm here with you," he told her.

"Oh, she gave you permission to play Nurse Derek for a while? How nice of her. I can take care of myself alone, go back to your wife," she spat.

When she heard him chuckling, she wanted to punch him right in the face.

"What the hell are you laughing about?"

"Oh, Mer," he said somehow sweetly, trying to caress her hair despite her moving her head to avoid his hand. "You don't remember? I don't have a wife anymore."

"What?" she asked, her mouth dropping wide open.

 _I don't have a wife anymore._

 _I don't have a wife anymore._

 _I_ _. D_ _on't. Have_ _. A. W_ _ife. Anymore._

Addison Forbes Montgomery Shepherd, longest legs ever, highest heels ever, sexy, funny smart, had shown up one night in the hall of the hospital making Meredith feel as meaningless as never before. Since that night, Meredith had wished to hear Derek say this sentence, this exact sentence, at least ten times a day.

"What happened?"

"I thought you were dead. I knew I chose wrong, I always have, but what happened yesterday made me realise how I was throwing my life - _our_ life - away. As soon as I came out of the locker room with you in my arms, she knew we were over."

Meredith felt something explode into her. Something she had tried to keep under control for months. She needed him to leave right now or she was going to slap him.

"You think this is enough?" she breathed. "You think you can come here, not saying sorry, not promising me anything, sure that I will let you in again? What did you expect? That I would let you in my life again, in my bed, in my kitchen, all over again? Do you expect me to spread my legs for you again, right now?"

"Meredith, I swear -"

"Out. Right now. Seriously, get out."

"No," he replied. "Not going to happen."

"I'm going to kick your ass from here to your stupid trailer!"

This time, Derek laughed freely. Carefully, he pulled her in his arms and took her place on the chair, Meredith on his lap.

"Let go of me!" she groaned. "I've had enough of you and your arrogance."

"I told you yesterday night _I'm not going away anymore._ I'm sorry. I _am_ sorry, okay? It was hard to understand how deeply in love I was with you, I hated to realise I married the wrong person. I spent countless days wishing to be married of you, instead of her, wishing to have you in bed with me, instead of her."

Meredith gasped.

 _It was hard to understand how deeply in love I was with you._

He had never told her he was in love with her. Never before. When they had confessed their feelings, he had already decided to take Addison back.

The confession was her undoing.

"You-" she stammered. "You… You love me?" she asked.

"Oh, Meredith," Derek sighed. He leaned closer and kissed her right on the mouth, hard and deep, slow and full.

His hand found its way into her blonde locks, embracing her neck. One of her little, bony hand found its way tentatively on one of his shoulders. She replied to the kiss, discovering again the feeling of the man she loved and wanted to herself. Despite the pain she was feeling, she wanted to be able not to stop at one kiss.

He leaned back and looked straight into her eyes: "I love you," he said surely. "I know I never told you before, but I love you, exactly like you love me. Do you remember? Leave me the last piece of cake… Hold a stereo outside my window…"

Meredith blushed and gently shook her head.

"If you'll have me back…"

"I don't know how to be able to trust you again," she whispered. "I want you, I really do, but I feel like… I'll always feel like I'm not enough for you. It will always be like a part of you, even if small and who knows where, would always pick another woman instead of me. That was _my_ place. I was your intern, your girl in a bar, but I wasn't enough."

"No," he replied, grabbing her wrist so hard she almost felt pain. "This is not how it was. I chose her for obligations. Because she was my wife, because there were vows involved and I wanted to be different from her, I wanted to show her I cared about those vows. Truth is, I don't care about those vows anymore. I don't care about anything beside you. When you came into my life everything I was, everything I knew, didn't count anymore. Please, Mer." He even found the courage to smile at her.

Meredith didn't want to have him begging.

She had done it herself because her desperation was too much and she had regretted every moment of it. She didn't want the same thing for the man she loved. She cupped his cheek with a hand, gently brushing her thumb against his lips.

"I want to try," she whispered. "But…"

"Yes," he nodded eagerly. "I swear. No one but you. Never again."

Derek didn't give Meredith any time to reply: he captured her lips again, hugging her close to his chest. "I love you," he said again, boldly, against her mouth, but this time, he heard her say back: "I love you too."

When they parted, the passionate kisses were not enough to satisfy their hunger. Both of their eyes were full of tears.

"Eat your breakfast," he whispered, kissing her temple.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we are; the end of this little story. I enjoyed this trip so very much, and if you did as well… leave me a review! I might be persuaded to write a one-shot about their vacation but… who knows? ;)**

 **Thank you for your words.**

 **Always,**

 **Ellen.**

* * *

 **4\. Meredith**

 **Epilogue**

 _ **What I needed  
I'm letting go  
A deeper dive  
Eternal silence of the sea  
I'm breathing  
Alive**_

So far, the day had been horrible.

Meredith had been busy assisting Dr. Bailey's in a complicate intestine transplant. The surgery had been long and hard, and as soon as Bailey had asked Meredith if she'd like to close up, the patient had coded. So, horrible was a word for it, and like a cherry on top of a cake, Meredith hadn't seen Derek all day. She had heard through the grapevine he had asked for a day off and she didn't know if she was supposed to feel angry, upset of just worried. The previous night he had been on call but when he had called to wish her good night he hadn't mentioned anything.

Yes, probably she was more upset than worried.

Meredith had come home, ordered pizza and thrown in a movie. She didn't know which movie it was, she had just grabbed it randomly from Izzie's pile. Anyway, her friend mostly watched chick-flicks and she was just in the mood for it.

When she snuggled under a blanket, trying to focus on the movie, the doorbell rang. Mentally cursing Izzie or George for forgetting their keys, she managed to arrive at the door, but it wasn't Izzie or George. It was Derek.

It was that idiot, ridiculously handsome, brainless McDreamy, standing outside her door with a grin, a t-shirt, two envelopes in his hand and a bouquet of sunflowers.

Flowers. _Seriously_.

"Look who's alive," she snorted, opening the door to him and gesturing inside.

"Hey," he said, still grinning like an idiot. He leaned down, expecting a kiss, but Meredith gazed at him threateningly.

"Do you really expect a kiss?"

"Yes," he assured her, stealing a quick peck. "Because I thought about you all day and I'm about to show you why I wasn't around." He handed her the envelope, reaching for a jar for the flowers. "Those are for you, by the way."

She just snorted again, ripping open the envelope. When she realised what was she holding, her heart skipped a beat. The page was thickly written, and at the bottom, two signatures:

 _Addison Adrianne Forbes Montgomery_

 _Derek Christopher Shepherd_

Divorce papers.

She raised her eyes, searching for Derek's. She found him there, smiling at her expectantly.

"Is it true?" she breathed.

"Yes," he said, circling her waist and bringing her closer. "It official. I'm a free man."

She had expected to hear those words since that night, when Addison showed up. She had expected him to take that step day after day, every time realising with surprise how much she wanted it to happen. Never in her life had she felt the need to have a man all to herself, and then, the months with the Derek and Addison mess had been devastating for her. She had doubted him numerous times, and then, here they were, standing in the middle of her living room, the divorce papers **signed** in her hands.

"Well," he went on. "I'm not really free. See, there' this beautiful, feisty, sassy blonde girl… And I happen to have lost my head for her…" He gave her the McDreamy look, and dropping the papers on the floor she hugged him fiercely, kissing him with passion, her tongue stroking his.

"I love you," she moaned against his mouth. "You did it."

"Yeah," he breathed, stepping apart. "I told you you needed to trust me. Here's the proof. And this, too," he handed her the second envelope.

Meredith opened it quickly. Plane tickets. To the Bahamas. _Bahamas?!_

"W- Why…?"

"Because we missed out on everything," Derek explained, stroking the hair away from her face. "And I just need time. I need time with you, just me and you, no wives, no Seattle Grace, no one. I want you, in a bikini, even naked, to give this relationship a proper beginning."

She grinned herself, kissing him again.

"I can't wait," he confessed, hugging her close. "I was afraid you would say no."

Meredith kissed him again, slipping her tongue in his mouth. Bad timing, because Izzie and George arrived in that moment, along with Alex.

"Hey, look, they're back at it," Alex commented. George mumbled "Dr. Shepherd," and Izzie, probably still mad about their argument, said nothing.

"How many people live here?" Derek asked.

"In the Bahamas, we'll be alone." And then, she gave him a saucy smile: "For now, even in my room."

Grabbing his hand, she headed the her room, wishing to continue their little encounter a little more.


End file.
